Ditch the pitch: Sh*t young startups should never say

Every weekday, PR Daily associate editor Alan Pearcy highlights the day’s most compelling stories and amusing marginalia on the Web in this, #TheDailySpin.

If Tom HanksForrest Gump taught me one thing, it’s that life is, indeed, like a box of chocolates. If Forrest Gump taught me two things, the second would be that “it happens”—“it” being the sh*t we’re sometimes forced to deal with on a daily basis.

This is especially true in the workplace, where thanks to a former and particularly popular tongue-in-cheek video meme, we’re already cognizant of the sh*t PR people and news reporter supposedly say. But what about the sh*t some of us shouldn’t say, especially when it comes to that big pitch? This is the subject matter of a recent guest post on Venture Beat that cautioned new startups and entrepreneurs on 10 things to never say when pitching potential business investors.

Meanwhile, Reddit is explaining various subject matter based on one of its popular threads in the manner of a five-year-old—subject matter such as Friedrich Nietzsche’s concept of “existentialism”: (via TechCrunch)

Although videos often help explain difficult concepts to the more visually inclined learner, words are sometimes all that are required. BuzzFeed demonstrates this with its brilliant collection of 10 word-only print ads.

Jingle writers don’t have the same luxury—their work generally requires some sort of audio accompaniment. But at least there’s work to be had. The Los Angeles Times reports that ad agencies are increasingly turning to musicians and songwriters to compose original compositions for their clients.

Hopefully none of those clients end up nabbing the title of Consumerist’s “Worst Company in America,” an annual competition that the industry blog kicked off Wednesday with a first round bout between Google and Facebook.

Job titles like marketing “rock star” or “ninja” are equally as horrible to bear, although Copyblogger’s Sonia Simone suggests a new one that might not be so bad: “goonie.” Explains Simone:

“Goonies have as much talent as lead singers do, but they tend to have more passion for the work than passion for recognition. They’d rather do something epic than get epic amounts of attention. And they tend to credit and respect others, because know what it feels like to be ignored and disrespected.”

“Goonie” is one way to rebrand yourself, although I don’t think it’ll work for Mexico. The country’s tourism board is better off sticking to its original idea. Reports PRNewser, Mexico is rebranding to prove it’s more than margaritas and tortilla chips. The campaign will run under the tagline “Mexico: the place you thought you knew.” Any pointers for our amigos south of the border, Kentucky?

Much like Mexico, the Girl Scouts are more than just cookie pushers. They’re also a muse to beer makers. According to Jezebel, San Francisco's Cevercería de MateVeza released five cookie-inspired brews last Friday, with flavors reminiscent of Thin Mints, Do-Si-Dos, Trefoils, Peanut Butter Patties, and Samoas.

The same kind of musing can’t be said of the Boy Scouts, at least not by Chipotle. Businessweek reports that the chain pulled its sponsorship of the organization’s annual Scout-O-Rama fundraiser because the magazine doesn’t support groups that discriminate based on sexual orientation.

I’m not sure what the relationship is between Mike and Ike, but I can 100 percent support their recent reconciliation. The Huffington Post relays news that the famous candy duo are getting back together after nearly a yearlong divorce campaign.

If that’s not enough reason to celebrate, how about honoring Twitter’s birthday. Engadget reports that the social media site turned seven on Thursday.

Seven years is quite the feat for a social network, but it’s nothing compared to what would have marked Mister Roger’s 85th birthday on Wednesday. While PR Daily remembered everyone’s favorite neighbor with a collection of inspiring quotes, mental_floss shared 35 interesting facts about the man in the sweater: